Air-conditioning system

ABSTRACT

An air-conditioning system includes an air-conditioning unit for supplying conditioned aft to an activity space defined by a compartment and having an air-conditioning duct for guiding the conditioned aft to the activity space, and at least one auxiliary air duct mechanism including an auxiliary air duct communicatingly connected to the air-conditioning duct for communicating the activity space with the outside, and a fan mounted in the auxiliary air duct. The auxiliary air duct has an auxiliary air inlet for guiding therein the outside air, an inner air inlet opening for guiding therein the conditioned air, and an auxiliary air outlet for discharging the outside air and the conditioned air into the activity space.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims priority of Taiwanese Patent Application No.110125712, filed on Jul. 13, 2021.

FIELD

The disclosure relates to an air-conditioning system, more particularlyto an air-conditioning system having an auxiliary oxygen supplyfunction.

BACKGROUND

An air-conditioning system is a must-have device for many enclosedactivity spaces today. For example, an air-conditioning system in avehicle compartment space, and a central air-conditioning system andair-conditioning units in a building space can all be used to adjust theambient temperature of the activity space. In order to maintain a stableambient temperature of the activity space, when the air-conditioningsystem is turned on, the doors and the windows are usually closed, andthe air-conditioning system is maintained in an internal circulationmode. However, there are safety problems in the use of such anair-conditioning system, When the air-conditioning system is maintainedin the internal circulation mode for a period of time, air in theactivity space will deteriorate, for example, the oxygen concentrationwill gradually decrease. The decrease of the oxygen concentration in theactivity space will easily cause the people in the activity space tohave poor spirits and reduced attention; for drivers, it is easy tocause traffic accidents; and for office workers, it will affect theirwork efficiency.

SUMMARY

Therefore, an object of the present disclosure is to provide anair-conditioning system that can alleviate at least one of the drawbacksof the prior art.

Accordingly, an air-conditioning system of this disclosure for providingconditioned air to an activity space defined by a compartment includesan air-conditioning unit for supplying the conditioned air to theactivity space and having an air-conditioning duct for guiding theconditioned air to the activity space, and at least one auxiliary airduct mechanism which includes an auxiliary air duct fluidly connected tothe air-conditioning duct for communicating the activity space with theoutside, and a fan mounted in the auxiliary air duct. The auxiliary airduct has an auxiliary air inlet configured to communicate with theoutside for guiding therein the outside air, an inner air inlet openingcommunicating with the air-conditioning duct for guiding therein theconditioned air, and an auxiliary air outlet for discharging the outsideair and the conditioned air into the activity space. The fan isactivated to generate an air flow toward the auxiliary outlet.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other features and advantages of the disclosure will become apparent inthe following detailed description of the embodiments with reference tothe accompanying drawings, of which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary top sectional view of an air-conditioning systemaccording to the first embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of the first embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary top sectional view of an air-conditioning systemaccording to the second embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary side sectional view of an air-conditioningsystem according to the third embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary side sectional view of an air-conditioningsystem according to the fourth embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a fragmentary top sectional view of an air-conditioning systemaccording to the fifth embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of the fifth embodiment; and

FIG. 8 is a fragmentary top sectional view of an air-conditioning systemaccording to the sixth embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Before the present disclosure is described in greater detail withreference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments, it should benoted herein that like elements are denoted by the same referencenumerals throughout the disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , an air-conditioning system 100 according tothe first embodiment of the present disclosure is suitable for providingcondi-tinned air to an activity space 900 defined by a compartment 800.The compartment 800 and the activity space 900 may be, for example, butnot limited to, a vehicle body and a compartment space defined by thevehicle body, or walls of a budding and a living space defined by thewalls. The conditioned air may be air of various temperatures.

The air-conditioning system 100 includes an air-conditioning unit 2, anauxiliary air duct mechanism 3, an external environmental sensor 4, acontrol device 5, and a temperature sensor 6.

In this embodiment, the air-conditioning unit 2 is exemplified as anair-conditioning unit installed in a vehicle. The air-conditioning unit2 is signally connected to the control device 5, and is controlled andactivated by the control device 5 to produce and supply conditioned airto the activity space 900. The air-conditioning unit 2 includes anair-conditioning duct 20 for guiding the conditioned air to the activityspace 900 and having one end inserted into a wall 801 of the compartment800, and a main air outlet 21 formed at the one end thereof andcommunicating with the activity space 900 for discharging theconditioned air into the activity space 900, Since there are many typesof the air-conditioning unit 2 that can be installed in the vehicle, andsince the air-conditioning unit 2 is not the focus of improvement ofthis disclosure, a detailed description thereof will be omitted hereinfor the sake of brevity.

The auxiliary air duct mechanism 3 includes an auxiliary air duct 31, afilter 33, a temperature controller 32, a fan 34, an air valve 35, anair-conditioning valve 36, a human body sensor 37 and an oxygenconcentration sensor 38.

The auxiliary air duct 31 includes an inner duct section 311 insertedinto the air-conditioning duct 20 and having an auxiliary air outlet 312facing the main air outlet 21, an outer duct section 313 extending outof the air-conditioning duct 20 from one end of the inner duct section311 that is distal to the auxiliary air outlet 312 and having anauxiliary air inlet 314 communicating with the outside, and an inner airinlet section 315 that communicates with the inner duct section 311,that protrudes from the inner duct section 311 into the air-conditioningduct 20, and that has an inner air inlet opening 316 communicating withthe air-conditioning duct 20. The inner air inlet opening 316 faces aflow direction of the conditioned air in the air-conditioning duct 20.

The filter 33 and the temperature controller 32 are arranged in theouter duct section 313. The filter 33 is located in proximity to theauxiliary air inlet 314 for filtering pollutants in the outside air thatflows into the inner duct section 311 through the auxiliary air inlet314. The pollutants may be, for example, but not limited to, PM2.5suspended particles, smoke particles, dust, etc. The filter 33 may be,for example, but not limited to, an air filter. The temperaturecontroller 32 is located in proximity to the filter 33, and can becontrolled and activated to perform temperature control processing onthe air flow filtered by the filter 33. The temperature controller 32may be, for example, but not limited to, a thermoelectric cooling chip.Since the filter 33 and the temperature controller 32 are known in theart, and have many types, they will not be described in detail for thesake of brevity.

The fan 34 is disposed in the inner duct section 311 and can becontrolled and activated to generate an air flow in the inner ductsection 311 toward the auxiliary air outlet 312.

The air valve 35 is disposed in the inner duct section 311 for openablyclosing the auxiliary air outlet 312 thereof. The air-conditioning valve36 is disposed at a junction of the inner air inlet section 315 and theinner duct section 311, and can be controlled to openably close theinner air inlet section 315. Since there are many types of the air valve35 and the air-conditioning valve 36, and the types of the air valve 35and the air-conditioning valve 36 are not limited to those illustratedin the drawings, they will not be described in detail herein for thesake of brevity.

The human body sensor 37 and the oxygen concentration sensor 38 of thisembodiment are disposed on the wall 801 of the compartment 800, arelocated on two opposite sides of the air-conditioning duct 20, and bothface the activity space 900. The human body sensor 37 is used forsensing a human body in the activity space 900. For example, if a humanbody is detected in the activity space 900 by the human body sensor 37,the human body sensor 37 will generate and output a corresponding ahuman body sensing signal. In this embodiment, the human body sensor 37is an infrared sensor that can sense human body temperature. However, inother variations of this disclosure, the human body sensor 37 may be anelectrical sensor that can sense human body contact, or other sensorsthat can detect whether there is a human body present in the activityspace 900. Since the human body sensor 37 is known in the art, adetailed description thereof is omitted herein.

The oxygen concentration sensor 38 is used for sensing an oxygenconcentration in the activity space 900, and can generate and output anoxygen concentration signal. Since the oxygen concentration sensor 38 isknown in the art, a detailed description thereof is omitted herein.

The external environmental sensor 4 is disposed externally of theactivity space 900 for sensing external environmental parameters, forexample, but not limited to, the concentration of PM2.5 suspendedparticles, carbon dioxide concentration, carbon monoxide concentration,smoke concentration, other toxic pollutant concentrations in the outsideair, air humidity, etc., and generating a corresponding externalenvironment signal.

The temperature sensor 6 is used for sensing an outside temperaturewhich is outside the activity space 900 and generating a correspondingoutside temperature signal. Since the temperature sensor 6 is not thefocus of improvement of this disclosure, a detailed description thereofis omitted herein.

The control device 5 can be signally connected to the air-conditioningunit 2, the temperature controller 32, the fan 34, the air valve 35, theair-conditioning valve 36, the human body sensor 37, the oxygenconcentration sensor 38, the external environmental sensor 4, and thetemperature sensor 6 through a currently known wired communicationtechnology and/or wireless communication technology. The control device5 is operable to set the temperature of the air flow intended to beprocessed by the temperature controller 32, and is operable to control arotational speed of the fan 34 to adjust the quantity of the air flowdischarged from the auxiliary air outlet 312. The control device 5 isfurther operable to control the opening and closing of each of the airvalve 35 and the air-conditioning valve 36, and to adjust the extent ofopening of the air-conditioning valve 36 to thereby adjust the amount ofthe conditioned air introduced from the inner air inlet section 315.

The control device 5 can further receive and analyze the human bodysensing signal, the external environment signal, the oxygenconcentration signal and the outside temperature signal. The controldevice 5 can control the fan 34 to activate and the air valve 35 to openupon receiving the human body sensing signal, so that outside air can besucked into the auxiliary air duct 31, and be discharged into theactivity space 900 through the auxiliary air outlet 312. The oxygenconcentration in the activity space 900 can be improved by providing theoutside air therein. The control device 5 can further control theoperation of the fan 34 to stop and to close the air valve 35 when it isanalyzed and determined that the external environmental parameterscorresponding to the external environment signal do not meet a usableair condition.

The control device 5 can further analyze the oxygen concentrationsignal, and when it is determined that the oxygen concentration is lowerthan a hypoxic threshold, and as the oxygen concentration graduallydecreases, the fan 34 is controlled to gradually increase a rotationalspeed thereof. The control device 5 can further analyze the outsidetemperature signal to obtain the corresponding outside temperature. Asthe outside temperature gradually increases, the control device 5correspondingly controls the extent of opening of the air-conditioningvalve 36 to gradually increase.

In this embodiment, the determination of the external environment signalwill take precedence over the human body sensing signal and the outsidetemperature signal. The result of the determination of the externalenvironment signal will be used as a basis for whether to control theactivation of the fan 34 and the opening of the air valve 35 accordingto the determination result of the human body sensing signal, After thefan 34 and the air valve 35 are controlled, the extent of opening of theair-conditioning valve 36 and the rotational speed of the fan 34 arefurther regulated respectively according to the outside temperaturesignal and the oxygen concentration signal. However, duringimplementation, the operation mode of the control device 5 according tothe signals is not limited to the aforesaid disclosure.

To use the air-conditioning system 100 of this disclosure, theair-conditioning unit 2 is activated by the control device 5, so thatconditioned air can be discharged into the activity space 900 throughthe air-conditioning duct 20. Then, the control device 5 will activatethe fan 34 and will open the air valve 35 when it is determined that theexternal environment signal meets the usable air condition and that thehuman body sensing signal represents the presence of a human body.Through this, air rich in oxygen from the outside is sucked into theactivity space 900 so as to increase the oxygen content in the activityspace 900. Simultaneously, the temperature controller 32 is alsoactivated by the control device 5 to adjust the temperature of the airflow passing therethrough.

Moreover, the control device 5 is also operated to control the extent ofopening of the air-conditioning valve 36, When the air-conditioningvalve 36 is opened, the inner air inlet section 315 of the auxiliary airduct 31 can receive the conditioned air in the air-conditioning duct 20through the inner air inlet opening 316, and can guide the receivedconditioned air to flow toward the inner duct section 311. The receivedconditioned air is used to regulate the temperature of the suckedoutside air, Then, the regulated air is discharged into the activityspace 900, so that the temperature of the air discharged from theauxiliary air duct 31 and the temperature of the conditioned airdischarged from the air-conditioning duct 20 are consistent.

In addition, when the oxygen concentration in the activity space 900 isreduced and is determined by the control device 5, the fan 34 iscontrolled to increase the rotational speed thereof so as to increasethe amount of air inlet; and, when the outside temperature is increasedand is determined by the control device 5, the extent of opening of theair-conditioning valve 36 is controlled to increase so as to introducemore conditioned air into the auxiliary air duct 31 for temperatureregulation.

In this embodiment, the control device 5 can be manually operated tocontrol whether to open the air valve 35 and the air-conditioning valve36, and whether to activate the fan 34. The control device 5 can befurther used to analyze the external environment signal and the humanbody sensing signal to automatically control whether to open the airvalve 35 and the air-conditioning valve 36, and whether to activate thefan 34. However, in other variations of this embodiment, the controldevice 5 may also be provided with a timing control mechanism, which cancontrol the opening of the air valve 35 at every interval of time andthe operation of the fan 34 for a period of time so as to regularlyreplenish oxygen to the activity space 900.

Taking for example that the air-conditioning system 100 of thisdisclosure is installed in a home, the timing control mechanism of thecontrol device 5 can be set to: during the day when going out to work,the operation of the fan 34 is stopped, and the air valve 35 is closed;and, during the night when returning to home after getting off fromwork, the fan 34 is activated, and the air valve 35 is opened.

Furthermore, in other variations of this embodiment, the control device5 may be designed to activate the fan 34 intermittently, for example,every time the fan 34 is activated for three seconds, it will pause forfive seconds, so that the air sucked into the auxiliary air duct 31 fromthe outside can temporarily stay in the inner duct section 311. Throughthis, the time for adjusting the temperature of the air staying in theinner duct section 311 by the conditioned air of the surroundingair-conditioning duct 20 can be prolonged, so that the temperature ofthe air in the inner duct section 311 is closer to the temperature ofthe conditioned air, Only then is the fan 34 activated again.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the second embodiment of the air-conditioningsystem 100′ of this disclosure is identical to the first embodiment, butdiffers in the structural design of the auxiliary air duct mechanism 3.In the second embodiment, the auxiliary air duct 31′ of the auxiliaryair duct mechanism 3′ includes an auxiliary main duct section 317 andthe inner air inlet section 315′. The auxiliary main duct section 317 isinserted and disposed on the wall 801 of the compartment 800 inproximity to the air-conditioning duct 20 for communicating the activityspace 900 with the outside, and has the auxiliary air inlet 314 and theauxiliary air outlet 312. The inner air inlet section 315′ is connectedbetween and communicates with the auxiliary main duct section 317 andthe air-conditioning duct 20, and has the inner air inlet opening 316′.The filter 33, the temperature controller 32, the fan 34 and the airvalve 35 are all arranged and mounted in the auxiliary main duct section317. The air-conditioning valve 36 is disposed at a junction of theinner air inlet section 315′ and the auxiliary main duct section 317,and can be controlled by the control device 5 to open so as tocommunicate the auxiliary main duct section 317 and the inner air inletsection 315′. The inner air inlet section 315′ can be similarly used forguiding the conditioned air in the air-conditioning duct 20 to flowtoward the auxiliary main duct section 317.

Through the structural design of the auxiliary air duct mechanism 3′,fresh air from the outside can be similarly guided into the activityspace 900 so as to increase the oxygen content in the activity space900.

Referring to FIG, 4, the third embodiment of the air-conditioning system100″ of this disclosure is identical to the first embodiment, butdiffers in the structural design of the air-conditioning unit 2, and theconnecting structure of the auxiliary air duct mechanism 3 and theair-conditioning unit 2. In the third embodiment, the air-conditioningunit 2″ is an indoor unit of a split-type air-conditioning unit. Theair-conditioning unit 2″ has a housing 26, and the air-conditioning duct20″ is disposed in the housing 26. The air-conditioning duct 20″ has amain air inlet area 27 formed in the housing 26, and a main air outlet21″ located immediately below the main air inlet area 27 andcommunicating with the activity space 900. The air-conditioning unit 2″further has an impeller 28 disposed in the air-conditioning duct 20″ andcan be driven to rotate so as to generate conditioned air. Since thereare many types of indoor units of the split-type air-conditioning unit,a detailed description of the air-conditioning unit 2″ is omittedherein, and the air-conditioning unit 2″ is not limited to what isdisclosed herein.

The inner duct section 311 of the auxiliary air duct 31 extends along aninner edge of the air-conditioning duct 20″ toward the main air outlet21″, while the outer duct section 313 thereof has one end extendingthrough the housing 26 at a side opposite to the main air inlet area 27and the wall 801 of the compartment 800 for communication with theoutside. The inner air inlet opening 316 of the inner air inlet section315 faces a flow direction of the conditioned air generated by theimpeller 28.

In this embodiment, the human body sensor 37 and the oxygenconcentration sensor 38 are disposed on the wall 801 of the compartment800 and facing the activity space 900. However, in other embodiments,the human body sensor 37 and the oxygen concentration sensor 38 aredisposed on the housing 26 at a side facing the activity space 900.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the fourth embodiment of the air-conditioningsystem (100 a ) of this disclosure is identical to the third embodiment,but differs in that the structural design of the auxiliary air ductmechanism 3′ of the second embodiment is used in the third embodiment.Hence, in the third embodiment, the auxiliary main duct section 317 ofthe auxiliary air duct 31′ has one end extending through the wall 801 ofthe compartment 800 in proximity to and located below the housing 26 forcommunication with the outside, and the inner air inlet section 315′thereof extends through the housing 26, and is connected to andcommunicates with the air-conditioning duct 20″ through the inner aftinlet opening 316′. Through this structural design, supplemental oxygencan be similarly discharged into the activity space 900.

Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7 , the fifth embodiment of theair-conditioning system (100 b ) of this disclosure is identical to thefirst embodiment, but differs in the structural design of theair-conditioning unit 2, and the air-conditioning system (100 b ) isconfigured to provide conditioned air to a plurality of the activityspaces 900 respectively defined by a plurality of the compartments 800(only two are shown in FIG. 6 ), and comprises a plurality of theauxiliary air duct mechanisms 3.

In the fifth embodiment, the air-conditioning unit (2 b ) of theair-conditioning system (100 b ) is connected to and communicates withthe activity spaces 900, and includes an air-conditioning main engine25, two air-conditioning ducts (20 b ) fluidly connected to two oppositesides of the air-conditioning main engine 25, a plurality of air suctionsections 22 each of which is fluidly connected between one of theair-conditioning ducts (20 b ) and a corresponding one of the activityspaces 900, and a plurality of main air outlet sections 23 each of whichis fluidly connected between the other one of the air-conditioning ducts(20 b ) and the corresponding one of the activity spaces 900. Theair-conditioning main engine 25 is signally connected to the controldevice 5, and can be controlled and activated to produce conditioned airand to process air sucked from the air suction sections 22 intoconditioned air. Since there are many types of air-conditioning mainengine 25 that can produce the conditioned air, and since theair-conditioning main engine 25 is not the focus of improvement of thisdisclosure, a detailed description thereof is omitted herein.

Each main air outlet section 23 has a main air outlet (21 b ) fordischarging the conditioned air into the corresponding activity space900.

The auxiliary air duct mechanisms 3 are respectively disposed in themain air outlet sections 23. The auxiliary air duct 31 of each auxiliaryair duct mechanism includes the inner duct section 311 inserted into therespective main air outlet section 23 and having the auxiliary airoutlet 312 facing the corresponding activity space 900, the outer ductsection 313 extending out of the respective main air outlet section 23and having the auxiliary air inlet 314, and the inner air inlet section315 protruding from the inner duct section 311 into the respective mainair outlet section 23. The human body sensor 37 and the oxygenconcentration sensor 38 of each auxiliary air duct mechanism 3 aredisposed in the respective activity space 900 for respectively sensingthe presence of a human body and an oxygen concentration therein.

The control device 5 is signally connected to the auxiliary air ductmechanisms 3, the external environmental sensor 4 and the temperaturesensor 6, and is operable to individually control the operation of thetemperature controller 32, the fan 34, the air valve 35 and theair-conditioning valve 36 of each auxiliary air duct mechanism 3. Thecontrol device 5 will activate the fan 34 and open the air valve 35 of acorresponding one of the auxiliary air duct mechanisms 3 when it isdetermined that the external environmental parameters of the externalenvironment signal meet the usable air condition and a human body ispresent in the corresponding activity space 900 so as to increase theoxygen concentration therein.

Referring to FIG. 8 , the sixth embodiment of the air-conditioningsystem (100 c ) of this disclosure is identical to the fifth embodiment,but differs in that the structural design of each auxiliary air ductmechanism 3 of the fifth embodiment is changed to that of the auxiliaryair duct mechanism 3′ of the second embodiment. In the sixth embodiment,the auxiliary air duct 31′ of each auxiliary air duct mechanism 3′ hasthe auxiliary main duct section 317 fluidly connected to the respectiveactivity space 900, and the auxiliary main duct section 317 is fluidlyconnected to the respective main air outlet section 23 through the innerair inlet section 315′.

In summary, in the air-conditioning system (100, 100′, 100″, 100 a , 100b , 100 c ) of this disclosure, through the structural design of theauxiliary air duct mechanism(s) (3, 3′) which fluidly communicates withthe air-conditioning duct(s) (20, 20″, 20 b ) of the air-conditioningunit (2, 2″, 2 b ), oxygen-enriched fresh air from the outside can besucked by the auxiliary air duct mechanism(s) (3, 3′) and transportedinto the activity space(s) 900 through the auxiliary air duct (31, 31′).During the sucking and transporting of the outside air, the conditionedair produced by the air-conditioning unit (2, 2″, 2 b ) can beintroduced into the auxiliary air duct (31, 31′) at the same time, andby pre-mixing the conditioned air which is adjusted to a presettemperature with the sucked outside air so as to adjust the temperaturethereof, the temperature of the air discharged into the activity space900 from the auxiliary air duct (31, 31′) will be approximately the sameas that of the conditioned air, and will not make the people in theactivity space 900 feel uncomfortable due to the large temperaturedifference between the outside air and the conditioned air.

Furthermore, through the structural design of the control device 5 whichcan analyze and determine whether the sensing result of the externalenvironment sensor 4 conforms to the usable air condition, and throughthe structural design of the human body sensor 37 of the auxiliary airduct mechanism(s) (3, 3′) which can sense whether there is a human bodyin the activity space(s) 900, the control device 5 can automaticallycontrol to open the air valve 35 and to activate the fan 34 when it isdetermined that the outside air meets the usable air condition and ahuman body is present in the activity space(s) 900, and can adjust theextent of opening of the air-conditioning valve 36, so that supplementaloxygen can be supplied to the activity space 900 where a human bodyexists.

Moreover, through the control device 5, the rotational speed of the fan34 can be correspondingly increased when the oxygen concentration in theactivity space 900 is decreased, so that the air intake volume from theoutside can be increased which, in turn, can help to increase the oxygencontent in the activity space(s) 900. In addition, with the gradualincrease of the outside temperature, the control device 5 can control toincrease the extent of opening of the air-conditioning valve 36, so thatthe temperature of the sucked outside air can be effectively adjusted tobe close to the temperature of the conditioned air, thereby improvingthe comfort level of the air blown from the air-conditioning system(100, 100′, 100″, 100 a , 100 b , 100 c ) into the activity space(s)900.

Therefore, the air-conditioning system (100, 100′, 100″, 100 a , 100 b ,100 c ) of this disclosure is indeed a convenient and practicalinnovation, and can indeed achieve its object.

In the description above, for the purposes of explanation, numerousspecific details have been set forth in order to provide a thoroughunderstanding of the embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to oneskilled in the art, that one or more other embodiments may be practicedwithout some of these specific details. It should also be appreciatedthat reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment,” “anembodiment,” an embodiment with an indication of an ordinal number andso forth means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristicmay be included in the practice of the disclosure. It should be furtherappreciated that in the description, various features are sometimesgrouped together in a single embodiment, figure, or description thereoffor the purpose of streamlining the disclosure and aiding in theunderstanding of various inventive aspects, and that one or morefeatures or specific details from one embodiment may be practicedtogether with one or more features or specific details from anotherembodiment, where appropriate, in the practice of the disclosure.

While the disclosure has been described in connection with what areconsidered the exemplary embodiments, it is understood that thisdisclosure is not limited to the disclosed embodiments but is intendedto cover various arrangements included within the spirit and scope ofthe broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modificationsand equivalent arrangements.

What is clamed is:
 1. An air-conditioning system for providingconditioned air to an activity space defined by a compartment, saidair-conditioning system comprising: an air-conditioning unit forsupplying the conditioned air to the activity space, and includes anair-conditioning duct for guiding the conditioned air to the activityspace; and at least one auxiliary air duct mechanism including anauxiliary air duct fluidly connected to said air-conditioning duct forcommunicating the activity space with the outside, and a fan mounted insaid auxiliary air duct, said auxiliary air duct having an auxiliary airinlet configured to communicate with the outside for guiding therein theoutside air, an inner air inlet opening communicating with saidair-conditioning duct for guiding therein the conditioned air, and anauxiliary air outlet for discharging the outside air and the conditionedair into the activity space, said fan being activated to generate an airflow toward said auxiliary air outlet.
 2. The air-conditioning system asclaimed in claim 1, wherein said auxiliary air duct includes an innerduct section disposed in said air-conditioning duct and having saidauxiliary air outlet, an outer duct section extending out of saidair-conditioning duct from one end of said inner duct section that isdistal to said auxiliary air outlet and having said auxiliary air inlet,and an inner air inlet section that communicates with said inner ductsection, that protrudes from said inner duct section into saidair-conditioning duct, and that has said inner air inlet opening.
 3. Theair-conditioning system as claimed in claim 2, wherein saidair-conditioning duct has a main air outlet for discharging theconditioned air into the activity space, and said auxiliary air outletof said inner duct section faces said main air outlet.
 4. Theair-conditioning system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said inner airinlet opening of said inner air inlet section faces a flow direction ofthe conditioned air in said air-conditioning duct.
 5. Theair-conditioning system as claimed in claim 3, wherein said inner airinlet opening of said inner air inlet section faces a flow direction ofthe conditioned air in said air-conditioning duct.
 6. Theair-conditioning system as claimed in claim 2, wherein said at least oneauxiliary air duct mechanism further includes an air valve disposed insaid inner duct section for openably closing said auxiliary air outletthereof.
 7. The air-conditioning system as claimed in claim 6, furthercomprising a control device that is signally connected to and that isoperable to control said fan and said air valve.
 8. The air-conditioningsystem as claimed in claim 7, wherein said at least one auxiliary airduct mechanism further includes a human body sensor signally connectedto said control device and configured to be disposed in the activityspace for sensing a human body in the activity space and generating ahuman body sensing signal, said control device controlling said fan toactivate and said air valve to open upon receiving the human bodysensing signal.
 9. The air-conditioning system as claimed in claim 7,wherein said at least one auxiliary air duct mechanism further includesan air-conditioning valve disposed in said inner air inlet section, saidair-conditioning valve being controlled by said control device toopenably close said inner air inlet section.
 10. The air-conditioningsystem as claimed in claim 7, further comprising an externalenvironmental sensor configured to be disposed externally of theactivity space for sensing external environmental parameters andgenerating a corresponding external environment signal, said controldevice being signally connected to said external environmental sensor,wherein, when said control device analyzes and determines that theexternal environmental parameters corresponding to the externalenvironment signal do not meet a usable air condition, the operation ofsaid fan is controlled by said control device to stop.
 11. Theair-conditioning system as claimed in claim 2, wherein: said at leastone auxiliary air duct mechanism further includes an air-conditioningvalve disposed in said auxiliary air duct and can be controllably openedfor allowing the conditioned air to enter said auxiliary air duct afterpassing through said inner air inlet opening; said air-conditioningsystem further comprises a temperature sensor for sensing an outsidetemperature, and a control device signally connected to saidair-conditioning valve and said temperature sensor; and when the outsidetemperature sensed by said temperature sensor gradually increases, saidcontrol device correspondingly controls an extent of opening of saidair-conditioning valve to gradually increase.
 12. The air-conditioningsystem as claimed in claim 1 wherein said air-conditioning duct has oneend configured to be inserted and disposed on a wall of the compartment,said auxiliary air duct including an auxiliary main duct sectionconfigured to be inserted and disposed on the wall of the compartment inproximity to said air-conditioning duct for communicating the activityspace with the outside, and an inner air inlet section connected betweenand communicating with said auxiliary main duct section and saidair-conditioning duct, said auxiliary main duct section having saidauxiliary air inlet and said auxiliary air outlet, said inner air inletsection having said inner air inlet opening.
 13. The air-conditioningsystem as claimed in claim 12, wherein said at least one auxiliary airduct mechanism further includes an air valve disposed in said auxiliarymain duct section for openably closing said auxiliary air outletthereof.
 13. air-conditioning system as claimed in claim 13, furthercomprising a control device that is signally connected to and that isoperable to control said fan and said air valve.
 14. air-conditioningsystem as claimed in claim 14, wherein said at least one auxiliary airduct mechanism further includes a human body sensor signally connectedto said control device and configured to be disposed in the activityspace for sensing a human body in the activity space and generating ahuman body sensing signal, said control device controlling said fan toactivate and said air valve to open upon receiving the human bodysensing signal.
 14. air-conditioning system as claimed in claim 14,wherein said at least one auxiliary air duct mechanism further includesan air-conditioning valve disposed in said inner air inlet section, saidair-conditioning valve being controlled by said control device toopenably close said inner air inlet section.
 17. The air-conditioningsystem as claimed in claim 14, further comprising an externalenvironmental sensor configured to be disposed externally of theactivity space for sensing external environmental parameters andgenerating a corresponding external environment signal, said controldevice being signally connected to said external environmental sensor,wherein, when said control device analyzes and determines that theexternal environmental parameters corresponding to the externalenvironment signal do not meet a usable air condition, the operation ofsaid fan is controlled by said control device to stop. 12.ir-conditioning system as claimed in claim 12, wherein: said at leastone auxiliary air duct mechanism further includes an air-conditioningvalve disposed in said auxiliary air duct and can be controllably openedfor allowing the conditioned air to enter said auxiliary air duct afterpassing through said inner air inlet opening; said air-conditioningsystem further comprises a temperature sensor for sensing an outsidetemperature, and a control device signally connected to saidair-conditioning valve and said temperature sensor; and when the outsidetemperature sensed by said temperature sensor gradually increases, saidcontrol device correspondingly controls an extent of opening of saidair-conditioning valve to gradually increase.
 19. The air-conditioningsystem as claimed in claim 7, wherein: said air-conditioning system isconfigured to provide conditioned air to a plurality of the activityspaces respectively defined by a plurality of the compartments; saidair-conditioning unit includes a plurality of main air outlet sectionsfor respectively communicating with the activity spaces and forrespectively discharging the conditioned air into the activity spaces;and said at least one auxiliary air duct mechanism includes a pluralityof auxiliary air duct mechanisms respectively disposed in said main airoutlet sections and signally connected to said control device.
 20. Theair-conditioning system as claimed in claim 19, wherein: each of saidauxiliary air duct mechanisms further includes a human body sensorsignally connected to said control device and configured to be disposedin a respective one of the activity spaces for sensing a human body inthe respective one of the activity spaces and generating a human bodysensing signal; and said control device controls said fan and said airvalve of a corresponding one of said auxiliary air duct mechanisms toactivate and to open, respectively, upon receiving the human bodysensing signal from said human body sensor of the corresponding one ofsaid auxiliary air duct mechanisms.
 21. The air-conditioning system asclaimed in claim 14, wherein said air-conditioning system is configuredto provide conditioned air to a plurality of the activity spacesrespectively defined by a plurality of the compartments; saidair-conditioning unit includes a plurality of main air outlet sectionsfor respectively communicating with the activity spaces and forrespectively discharging the conditioned air into the activity spaces;and said at least one auxiliary air duct mechanism includes a pluralityof auxiliary air duct mechanisms respectively disposed in said main airoutlet sections and signally connected to said control device.
 22. Theair-conditioning system as claimed in claim 21, wherein: each of saidauxiliary air duct mechanisms further includes a human body sensorsignally connected to said control device and configured to be disposedin a respective one of the activity spaces for sensing a human body inthe respective one of the activity spaces and generating a human bodysensing signal; and said control device controls said fan and said airvalve of a corresponding one of said auxiliary air duct mechanisms toactivate and to open, respectively, upon receiving the human bodysensing signal from said human body sensor of the corresponding one ofsaid auxiliary air duct mechanisms.
 23. The air-conditioning system asclaimed in claim 1, wherein: said air-conditioning system is configuredto provide conditioned air to a plurality of the activity spacesrespectively defined by a plurality of the compartments; saidair-conditioning unit includes a plurality of main air outlet sectionsfor respectively communicating with the activity spaces and forrespectively discharging the conditioned air into the activity spaces;and said at least one auxiliary air duct mechanism includes a pluralityof auxiliary air duct mechanisms respectively disposed in said main airoutlet sections and signally connected to said control device. 1.air-conditioning system as claimed in claim 1, further comprising anoxygen concentration sensor configured to be disposed in the activityspace for sensing an oxygen concentration in the activity space, and acontrol device signally connected to said fan and said oxygenconcentration sensor, wherein, when said oxygen concentration sensorsenses that the oxygen concentration in the activity space graduallydecreases, a corresponding oxygen concentration signal is output to saidcontrol device, which, in turn, controls said fan to gradually increasea rotational speed thereof.